Printable Oceanography Study Words I flash cards
31 words
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| abyssal plain |
large area of extremely flat or gently sloping ocean floor just offshore from a continent |
| accreted |
to grow together |
| aseismic |
denoting a region free of earthquakes |
| asthenosphere |
region below the lithosphere, variously estimated as being from fifty to several hundred miles thick |
| basalt |
igneous rock of a lava flow composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene |
| bathymetry |
measurement of the depths of oceans, seas or other large bodies of water |
| chemosynthesis |
synthesis of organic compound inside an organism with chemical reactions providing the energy source |
| clastic |
pertaining to rocks composed of fragments or particles of previously existing solid matter |
| collisional |
meeting of particles in which each exerts a force upon the other causing the exchange of momentum |
| continental margin |
offshore zone that separates the dry-land portion of a continent from the deep ocean floor |
| continental shelf |
part of a continent that is submerged in relatively shallow sea |
| convergent |
body of water moving towards or meeting at some common point |
| crust |
outer layer of the earth deep under the oceans |
| east pacific rise |
north-south elevation of the sea floor in the E Pacific Ocean, from SW Mexico to the Antarctic Ocean |
| fathom |
unit of length equal to six feet, used chiefly in nautical measurements |
| fracture zone |
long, narrow rift on the ocean floor, separating areas of differing depth |
| guyots |
flat-topped seamount, found chiefly in the Pacific Ocean |
| ice rafting |
transference of various material by ice |
| inner core |
solid sphere in the middle of the fluid core such as the iron-nickel core of the Earth |
| inorganic |
not having the structure or organization characteristic of living bodies |
| island |
tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent |
| knots |
unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour |
| latitude |
angular distance north or south from the equator |
| lava |
molten, fluid rock that issues from a volcano or volcanic vent |
| league |
distance of three miles under the sea |
| lithosphere |
solid portion of the earth distinguished from atmosphere and hydrosphere |
| lower mantle |
portion of the mantle below a depth of about six hundred miles |
| mafic |
pertaining to rocks rich in dark, ferromagnesian minerals |
| microplankton |
plankton visible as individual organisms only with the aid of a microscope |
| mid-ocean ridge |
submarine mountain ranges that extend through the Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific oceans |
| mor |
layer of acidic humus formed in cool moist areas where decomposition is slow |
| abyssal plain |
large area of extremely flat or gently sloping ocean floor just offshore from a continent |
| accreted |
to grow together |
| aseismic |
denoting a region free of earthquakes |
| asthenosphere |
region below the lithosphere, variously estimated as being from fifty to several hundred miles thick |
| basalt |
igneous rock of a lava flow composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene |
| bathymetry |
measurement of the depths of oceans, seas or other large bodies of water |
| chemosynthesis |
synthesis of organic compound inside an organism with chemical reactions providing the energy source |
| clastic |
pertaining to rocks composed of fragments or particles of previously existing solid matter |
| collisional |
meeting of particles in which each exerts a force upon the other causing the exchange of momentum |
| continental margin |
offshore zone that separates the dry-land portion of a continent from the deep ocean floor |
| continental shelf |
part of a continent that is submerged in relatively shallow sea |
| convergent |
body of water moving towards or meeting at some common point |
| crust |
outer layer of the earth deep under the oceans |
| east pacific rise |
north-south elevation of the sea floor in the E Pacific Ocean, from SW Mexico to the Antarctic Ocean |
| fathom |
unit of length equal to six feet, used chiefly in nautical measurements |
| fracture zone |
long, narrow rift on the ocean floor, separating areas of differing depth |
| guyots |
flat-topped seamount, found chiefly in the Pacific Ocean |
| ice rafting |
transference of various material by ice |
| inner core |
solid sphere in the middle of the fluid core such as the iron-nickel core of the Earth |
| inorganic |
not having the structure or organization characteristic of living bodies |
| island |
tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent |
| knots |
unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour |
| latitude |
angular distance north or south from the equator |
| lava |
molten, fluid rock that issues from a volcano or volcanic vent |
| league |
distance of three miles under the sea |
| lithosphere |
solid portion of the earth distinguished from atmosphere and hydrosphere |
| lower mantle |
portion of the mantle below a depth of about six hundred miles |
| mafic |
pertaining to rocks rich in dark, ferromagnesian minerals |
| microplankton |
plankton visible as individual organisms only with the aid of a microscope |
| mid-ocean ridge |
submarine mountain ranges that extend through the Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific oceans |
| mor |
layer of acidic humus formed in cool moist areas where decomposition is slow |
